HOLLYWOOD REPORTER REVIEW 25 OKTOBER 2013
by Boyd van Hoeij
Dutch documentary director Mark Verkerk created this breathtaking look at the Oostvaardersplassen natural reserve.
UTRECHT — A natural reserve that was created pretty much by accident in the world’s second most densely populated country, the Netherlands, is more than ready for its close-up in The New Wilderness (De nieuwe wildernis), directed by non-fiction filmmaker Mark Verkerk (Buddha’s Lost Children).
Shot in stunning widescreen, this traditional-minded documentary feature covers the expected four seasons and the cycles of life and death as they occur in the Oostvaardersplassen reserve, just 20 or so miles east of Amsterdam. The main surprise, apart from the film’s breathtaking beauty, is not only the diversity but the enormous quantities of small and especially large animals that live in this area of just 22 square miles — as more than amply demonstrated by the countless aerial shots of stampeding herds of Red Deer and semi-feral Konik horses (the latter incidentally the largest European population of the species, according to the film’s occasionally overly didactic voice-over).
Read the entire review... What’s entirely left off-screen and might have to be added for foreign distribution, is a short explanation of the uniqueness of the Oostvaardersplassen area, which was created when the central part of the 1960s Flevoland polders — a lake area that was turned into land to create new living space for people in overcrowded, nearby Amsterdam — didn’t take and the resulting swamp area attracted large quantities of migratory birds. Almost 90% of what now constitutes the reserve is closed for the public and has become an example of “rewilding,” with larger species that either used to live in the Netherlands or are close contemporary equivalents introduced to try and re-create a self-sustaining ecosystem (hence the film’s title). Though filmed over a staggering 600 days, the film tells a classically structured story from the beginning of spring through the end of winter. The birth of a Konik foal and various other young animals opens the film on a cute note, with the voice-over by Harry Piekema (the Flemish voice-over for the Belgian release was done by The Broken Circle Breakdown actor Johan Heldenbergh) mostly resisting the urge to anthropomorphize too much and managing to inject some humor without becoming too cutesy. Verkerk beautifully illustrates how smaller cycles exist within bigger ones and everything is connected. After a spectacular summer storm, shallow pools come to life in the wetlands and a shoal of carp is stranded in too-shallow water, thus providing food for maggots that in turn attract birds. Similarly, on the plains — where grazers were introduced to keep the area from turning into a forest — yellow dung flies feast on the feces of the Konik, providing food for other insects and birds. Death is of course an integral part of life, with young foxes chasing baby geese in slow motion and a young foal struggling throughout fall and then winter to keep up with its healthier peers, finally resulting in its death in the depth of winter. A dozen cinematographers are credited for the stunning imagery, which include aerial, underwater, macro, high-speed, remote, time-lapse and cable-cam photography, with truly gasp-inducing imagery including the sight of Little Egrets in thick mist, deer fighting each other in mating season, horses huddled together under the first snow and countless contre-jour shots that show a side of the Netherlands rarely seen on-screen. Just as important are the expertly captured and rendered ambient noises, which thankfully often take precedence over Bob Zimmerman’s smoothly supportive score. At the heart of one of the most densely populated areas of Europe, in a country where every square meter of land has been meticulously shaped by man, lie the Oostvaardersplassen — a unique experiment in letting nature run its course. In just 40 years, 6,000 hectares of newly formed polder has been transformed into one of Europe’s most dynamic and productive wetlands — home to some of Europe’s rarest birds such as the magnificent white tailed eagle, which hadn’t been seen in the Netherlands since the Middle Ages. Three years in production and with more than 600 shooting days in the field,The New Wilderness is a spectacle, an ode, a visual tone poem, celebrating the wildness, stark beauty and sheer majesty of a unique natural monument. Shot in 4K cinemascope, the film charts the cycle of life through the course of four seasons, from birth through death to new life, forging a direct sensory and emotional connection with this thriving wetland and the many wild creatures that have made it their home — including 1,200 Koniks, that make up the largest herd of wild horses in Europe. Read the entire review... Using the latest techniques in timelapse, underwater, underground, aerial and macro photography, The New Wilderness explores the diverse worlds within worlds, from the macro to the micro, highlighting the many connections between them. The New Wilderness urges us to watch again with our animal eyes and listen with our animal ears and in doing so, sensitize ourselves once more to the voice of the wild. In an age of seemingly unrelenting ecological breakdown this new wilderness is a rare and inspiring beacon of hope. It went into cinema’s on the 26th of September and around 65.000 people went in the first weekend. The New Wilderness ran for twelve consecutive weeks ended up with 700.000 visitors in Dutch cinemas alone. A film by Mark Verkerk Produced by Ton Okkerse, EMS FILMS Associate Producer Ignas van Schaick represented by Willem Pruijssers – DutchFilmWorks.
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